The Spot Blog

The Colorado House today approved a $19 billion state budget on a 64-1 vote, a rare feat of near unanimity on the state's annual spending plan.

Democrats and Republicans hailed the budget, which is for the 2012-13 fiscal year that begins in July, as the result of compromise from both parties.

The only dissent came from Rep. Chris Holbert, R-Parker, who told The Denver Post he didn't think the budget his colleagues crafted was fiscally prudent enough.

"We don't sort of save for the future," Holbert said.

But multiple Republican lawmakers said Holbert had been pouting since a Monday morning caucus when he wanted to propose a budget amendment dealing with abortion and was shot down by his colleagues.

Holbert denied that discussions over his amendment had anything to do his vote.

The support for the budget this year was even more overwhleming than last year, when record numbers of Republicans voted in favor of the 2011-12 budget, which passed on 50-14 in the House.

The budget features $7.5 billion in spending from the state's general fund — the largest single pot of money in the budget and the one over which lawmakers have the most discretion. General-fund spending for 2012-13 would be about 6.5 percent more than what lawmakers approved for the 2011-12 fiscal year.

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Because of a more optimistic state-revenue forecast issued in March, lawmakers were able to fund a $98.5 million property-tax break for seniors that had been the largest single point of contention. The rosier budget picture also allowed lawmakers to keep per-pupil spending levels for K-12 students at current-year levels and to keep higher-education funding close to the current level.

The budget also would close Colorado State Penitentiary II in Cañon City, saving $13.5 million a year by 2013.

During a seven-hour debate Wednesday night, Rep. Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs, offered an amendment, which passed with bipartisan support, that takes $4.2 million from the Department of Corrections to increase funding for full-day kindergarten. Waller argued that inmate populations had been falling and that the money could be spared to help more kids get into full-day kindergarten.

But Democrats, the minority in the House, also proposed multiple amendments to take millions specifically from private prisons and transfer the money to programs for early-childhood literacy, preschool programs and services for veterans and the developmentally disabled, and for cash payments to the disabled.

All those amendments failed amid Republican arguments that such cuts to private prisons could cause economic devastation to small towns on the Eastern Plains.

Republicans added an amendment that would defund the Colorado Office of Consumer Counsel, the agency assigned to represent utility ratepayers' interests before the Public Utilities Commission. Rep. Spencer Swalm, R-Centennial, said the office had been doing a poor job of keeping utility rates low and that the agency should either "do their job or go out of business."

Swalm's amendment cut $897,250 and eliminated seven positions. Democrats said it was irresponsible to eliminate the agency that protects utility consumers, which include businesses.

However, when Democrats challenged the amendment later in a procedural move, Swalm argued against it himself, saying he'd sent his message. The amendment was removed on a 65-0 vote.

The budget now goes to the Democratic-controlled Senate next week, and senators are likely to strip out some amendments and add their own, ultimately sending the bill to a conference committee.